Good Morning,
If any students who have attended U.K. institutions could chance me, I’d appreciate it. I’m not quite sure what to think.
My profile: I am an American student who graduated this past May. My CGPA is a 3.09, and I majored in English and minored in Middle Eastern studies. Additionally, I did a two-week program in Israel and foreign exchange program at an Australian university where I scored the UK equivalent of first-class honors while taking 4 classes. On top of the study abroad, I got a nice C.V. filled with extracurriculars including Model United Nation positions.
I’m interested in going to the U.K. due to its prominence in world politics, to pursue a Master’s degree in IR/Global Affairs, and I am interested in the programs at:
Kings College London
University College London
The University of Bristol
Although most programs I would like to apply to specify having the U.K equivalent of an upper second class, I believe my CGPA falls just shy.
However when factoring in my Israel study abroad ( scored an A in the course) and the fact that I scored the UK equivalent of first-class while being an international student in another country – I’m not sure if they would counteract my low CGPA.
Could someone more knowledgeable of U.K. standards tell me if I stand a chance of being accepted?
A 3.0 is not ‘just shy’ of a 2.1. It is a lot shy.
Bristol defines a 2.1 as CGPA of 3.2; UCL says 3.3 (and that a 3.0 is a 2.2), and KCL says 3.6. Even including the Australian grades you don’t have that. Not to mention that your degree is not in a relevant subject.
A “grade” for a 2 week course will not be taken at all seriously. If your courses in Australia were regular undergrad courses, and ran for the full term, it might help- but it could also hurt (if you couldn’t get strong marks at home, just how rigorous was the study abroad standard?)
The good news is that they will like the color of your money, and if you can write a decent statement of purpose, who knows?
But first, you might want to look more closely at the specific courses at each place. For example, UCL does not have a Masters called “IR” or “Global Affairs”.
The people that I know in the IR/politics world in the UK would be some amused to hear that you want to go there b/c of it’s “prominence in world politics” and would ask pointed questions about your knowledge of current events. Imo, you would be better off citing the calibre of the courses you are applying to as your reason for applying.
I knew I am not the most competitive candidate, but thanks for giving me a realistic assessment of my chances.
I left out some details in the opening post for the sake of brevity, but I know that UCL does not have an IR program but programs similar to it. I am considering this or Bristol, as Kings just seems unattainable.
In particular, UCL has a program called Global Governance and Ethics, while Kings and UCL have programs in IR. Understand I have done my research on these programs and analyzed their curriculums/professors which is why I chose them.
If it helps, I started off high but dropped in the quality of grades. In the last 1.5 years of undergrad, I made three 3.6 or higher semester GPA’s on top of the abroad stuff which shows upwards progression and maturity. I know my field degree isn’t exactly IR, but having an emphasis on world literature and literature/culture, and taking classes about the politics of the ME which took me abroad, I can use to “segway” into IR.
I used this method to be accepted into IR programs at Melbourne and Sydney which require a 2:1, and Leiden University in The Hague, so I know what I am doing in terms of compelling statements and references. I just know the UK has been a stronger player in politics, which is part of my reasoning for seeking admittance in some schools. I hope my statement of “prominence in global affairs” did not come off as naive.
If possible could I send you a private message and talk about this more in detail? I would appreciate it!
Once again, thanks for the honest and truthful assessment.
“Segway” is a brand of transporter…I think that you mean ‘segue’ 
If you go to the UK they will expect you to know the difference!
If you already have places in Masters courses at Melbourne, Sydney & Leiden I’m not sure why you are looking at Bristol, as it is considerably lower in the international rankings for Politics/IR than they are (though, curiously, rather higher than KCL or UCL for politics in the UK in The Complete University Guide rankings).
I don’t know if I will be able to be useful at the level of detail you may be looking for, but am happy to try.